Family
by Slightly Sinister Sinestra
Summary: At the end of the movie. Loz and Yazoo don't try to take Cloud with them. Instead, they try to be enough of a family on their own. NOT yaoi! Eww! Read and see.


My sister already had a bash at this, so I thought I'd have a go too. Like her, I only saw Advent Children a few days ago, so I'm totally new at this too. Still, enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't even know who owns this, but it isn't me.

Family

Weakened, furious, he dragged himself up onto the roof, aided by his stronger brother. Loz supported him, as always. Without him, Yazoo would have be lost long since. But Loz was hurt now too. Badly. Both so injured, so weak, now. But they had to reach Kadaj. They had to join their other brother. They couldn't leave him alone. Even if he had left them to be with mother alone. They would still be there for him, despite it all. He was their brother.

Beside him, Loz slipped. Losing his footing, the bulkier man slid away, gasping as his twisted ankle shot further out of alignment. Yazoo grasped desperately for his arm, clinging to the flailing limb, fighting with all the strength in his slender body to arrest his brother's fall. Loz tried to shake his head. "You'll only fall too," he muttered frantically, trying to pull his arm free without toppling the smaller man. "Let go, Yazoo!" But Yazoo didn't.

Scrabbling for his gunblade, Yazoo stabbed it into the concrete, clinging to it as fiercely as he clung to his brother's arm. He wasn't letting go. He would _never_ let go. Slowly, agonisingly, he pulled Loz back to him, determinedly ignoring his brother's attempts to pull free and spare him the hardship. Loz was _not_ going to fall. Yazoo couldn't stand a world without his brother. He simply couldn't contemplate it.

Finally Loz could reach up and lay his hand over Yazoo's on their anchor. For a long moment they simply lay there, side by side, panting from the strain. Looking over, Yazoo was startled by the sight of tears trickling down his brother's face. Loz blinked, but they still flowed. Yazoo stared, then smiled weakly.

"Don't cry, brother. No crying. Still here, aren't we? Still together. And we're nearly there. Nearly with mother and Kadaj. No crying, Loz. Not now." Slowly, his brother nodded. Nearly there.

They fought their way to the top, over the incline. Together, they reached their goal, and stopped.

"No," Loz whispered. "No. Kadaj ..."

Cloud held their brother, looking so fragile and young. Kadaj was going. He was leaving them. Even as they watched, Kadaj reached towards the sky, searching. Searching for mother. Something grasped him. Something quiet and beautiful. And he left, dissolving in a stream of light. He left them, unaware even that they were there, unaware that they were there for him. Kadaj left them alone. Again.

Staggering, Yazoo stood. Loz could only kneel, with the damage done to his ankle. Yazoo was overcome with a sudden urge, to go with him, to be together. Big brother too. All together, in the place where Kadaj and mother were. He glanced at Loz, and saw the same thought in his brother's eyes. Go with brother and mother. Be together. At last. Yazoo raised his gunblade, sighted on big brother.

Stopped.

Cloud was gazing into the sky. Staring up the way Kadaj had. But not at an invisible being. Not searching for mother. He was looking at the ship that flew overhead. Full of people. Living people. People he cared for. His back was to them, but Yazoo could feel his quiet joy, his love. Not for a lost mother, but for friends. A family he'd made for himself. Could they take that away? Big brother didn't want to be with mother. He was a traitor for abandoning her, but he only wanted a family. He only wanted to be with family. Maybe, when he couldn't find mother, he'd just needed someone so badly that he found someone else.

"Loz?" Yazoo asked softly. His brother looked up at him. "Can we be a family, Loz? You're my brother, and I'm yours. Is it enough? Can it be enough?" He turned to look his brother desperately in the eyes. How to say what he thought? How could he explain? "What I mean is, Kadaj is safe, with mother. Big brother ... Look at him. He has them. Can I be enough for you? Can we stay here, together? I ... don't know that I want to follow Kadaj yet, but I couldn't be without you, and if you want to go ..."

Loz raised a hand to grasp his gently. "Yazoo, I couldn't go anywhere without you. We're brothers. You'll always be enough for me. We _are_ family. Kadaj has mother. You have me. Always. I promise."

Yazoo stared. He was crying, and for once, unashamedly. Loz smiled, tears trickling down his face too. "Brother," Yazoo whispered softly. "Brother," Loz replied.

Family. Finally.

"What do you two want?" Cloud asked harshly. They turned to him, to face his sword. Big brother stared at them, anger and confusion in his face. Yazoo blinked.

"What?" he asked.

"You're crying," Cloud murmured. Yazoo hurriedly dashed the offending tears away. Loz did the same. Cloud still stared.

"Kadaj ..." Yazoo started. "He's gone to mother, hasn't he?" Cloud nodded slowly. Yazoo sighed. "He's gone. He left us. And you, big brother? Are you going too?"

Cloud shook his head. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing," Loz said. "Nothing, brother. You're going to your family. We're staying with ours. Yazoo and I, we're staying together. Good luck, brother. Good luck."

Loz stood, leaning on Yazoo's shoulder. Yazoo leant the support willingly, slipping an arm around his brother's waist to help him. Held close, he looked up at his brother's face. Loz smiled softly at him. There was understanding, and caution, there. They were weak yet. Cloud could kill them, and they didn't want to go to Kadaj yet. They wanted some time just together. The two of them. So, carefully, Loz turned them, and they started hobbling away.

Cloud stopped them, putting a hand on Loz's shoulder, effectively drawing the both of them to a halt. "Those are fair injuries. You will have difficulty getting down without hurting yourselves more. That would be a shame."

"What do you want?" Loz asked, without turning.

"Come with me. I'm going up, not down. It'll be safer. You can heal at home. Come with me. Come home."

Home. Could they really? Yazoo wanted to. He wanted to believe that big brother meant it. "Loz?" His brother glanced down at him, then back at Cloud.

"Do you mean that?" he asked harshly.

"Yes," Cloud answered simply.

"Loz?" Yazoo spoke again. "Can we go home?" He hated the note of longing in his voice. Hated it, but couldn't help it. Loz tightened his embrace, silently giving him strength, as always. Loz gazed straight at big brother, weighing his sincerity. Finally, slowly, he nodded.

"Yes. Lets go home."

Well? Do you think I should continue? Tell me! Please?


End file.
